Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) has launched a remote desktop
software extension that will let users access another computer through the
company’s Chrome Web browser from afar.

Available for free download fromGoogle’s Chrome Web Store, Chrome Remote Desktop Beta enables users access
another computer (or share their own computer with others) using a single
authentication code. The tool, demonstrated by Google operating system, is designed so that access is given
only to the specific person the user identifies for one time only.

“The helpdesk can use the Chrome Remote Desktop BETA
to help another user, while conversely a user can receive help by setting up a
sharing session without leaving their desk,” Google explained in its
release notes.

Google said one practical use for Remote Desktop is the
classic remote IT help desk scenario, where an employee having computer trouble
can file a help ticket and have his or her computer accessed, inspected and
fixed remotely by an IT administrator.

Think of the tool as a Web-based,
lightweight take on software from Dell Kace, CA (NYSE:CA), LogMeIn
(NASDAQ:LOGM), BMC Software (NYSE:BMC) and other vendors.

The search engine provider isn’t storming the castle
walls built by those remote desktop application providers just yet. The company
said its goal with Chrome Remote Desktop BETA — beta is officially part of the
extension name for a reason — is to show off its Chrome Remoting software and
get feedback from users.

Chrome Remote Desktop will enable users to connect any
two computers that have a Chrome browser. That includes Windows, Linux, Mac and
Chromebooks. The company said it will
eventually allow users access their own computer remotely soon.

EWEEK expects Chrome Remote Desktop will ultimately serve
as one component in a management software suite intended for Chromebooks, which
are low-cost notebooks based on Google’s Chrome Operating system.

These
machines are equipped with minimal Flash storage and let consumers and
businesses download and consume Web applications.

Businesses rent Chromebooks for $28 per user, per month for three years,
enjoying support and hardware upgrades as needed. Schools are eligible
for the same deal but for $20 per user, per month.

As workplace adoption for these computers grows, it will make sense for Google to add remote computer
management capabilities for its Chromebook for education and business user to
keep IT management costs down.